Zamberlan Lagorai

I wonder if a finer boot has been made? The Zamberlan Lagorai represents the pinnacle of first rate materials and workmanship -- truly, these boots are a thing of wonder. Yet, you already know all this. What I want to address is, what turned out for me, their weird sizing. I bought a pair of these Lagorai but only wore them about six hours before I had to admit that they just weren't going to work out.

If you've been reading the online consumer reviews concerning these boots then you've seen comments to the effect that they are sized about a half size larger than stated. It's actually weirder than that. I wear a 13 in virtually all hiking boots but can easily get away with a pair of 14s with heavy socks -- indeed, I'm a happy owner of two pairs of Lowa in size 14 so I thought these in 13 would be perfect. However, the Lagori (and from what I can ascertain, the entire NW line) doesn't actually provide a 13.5" boot when the label says 13" -- they're more like 13" with regard to the toe box and 15 in the heel.

The amount of heel lift with these boots was really excessive with thin, medium, heavy, and even extra-heavy mountaineering socks from Darn Tough. The only time I could eliminate most of the slippage was with my thickest socks and laced up so tight that they became torture chambers. There was just no way to make them fit. I couldn't go down to a pair of 12s because 'boot bang' was going to be an issue. Pretty disappointing to say the least. But definitely give the Lagorai a spin because if you find a pair that fit you're in for a real treat.

Smartwool Vs. Darn Tough Hiking Socks

I've been using Darn Tough socks for a long time but recently tried out a pair of the ironically named "Smartwool" heavy duty hiking socks. They cost a few bucks less and the online hype / reviews were good so it seemed like a good idea.

Bad idea.

I tried out the Smartwool socks on a 12 mile snowshoeing tour up Labrador 'Mountain' (really, just a big hill) nearly Tully, NY. across Kettlebail Forest and a ways into Heiberg Memorial Forest. After about 6 miles I notified Houston that we had a problem and, indeed, another mile down the trail and I had developed my first blister in 27 years.

These socks are poorly woven, floppy, baggy, do not hold their form, and after a few miles already started to unravel. By contrast, my last pair of Darn Tough have seen over 400 miles and have been through the wash approximately 15 or 20 times, are still tight, dense, thick, and soft.

So, I wore the Smartwool socks for a little over 10 miles and washed them once:

The result is a semi-formless blob of wool that is coming apart.

These things will be okay for people keeping their toes warm in the living room or for those who 'hike' a few miles a day but they're not contenders for serious trekking or backpacking.

Pay the extra $5 and go with a pair of Darn Tough wool socks.